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Preface
“Nature.Anindefinitelymutableterm,changingasourscientificconceptionofthe
worldchanges,andoftenbestseenassignifyingacontrastwithsomethingconsidered
notpartofnature.”
S.Blackburn[2]
“Ground.Ametaphysicalpriorityrelationdistinctfromcausation...Groundingisoften
consideredtoobtainbetweenfacts,i.e.,iffactxisgroundedinfacty,then
ymetaphysicallyexplainsfactx.”
T.E.Tahko[3]
Relational.“Thegeneralkindofobjectsthatdothediscerninginallcasesform
acategorythathasreceivedlittleifanyattentioninmetaphysics.Thiscategory
ofobjectsliesbetweenindiscerniblesandindividualsandiscalledrelationals:objects
thatcanbediscernedbymeansofrelationsonlyandbyproperties.”
F.A.Muller[4]
Thisshortreflectiveessayisaquitelimitedattempttoelucidatehow
thenatureofpersonsisgroundedintheirfundamentalrelationality
withthemselvesandothers.Iwillbearguingthat,fundamentally,
personsarenotindividuals;fundamentally,personsarerelationals.[5]
Thehistoricalandculturalcontextsherearemainly,butnot
exclusively,contemporaryEuropean,admittedlywithalltheserious
inadequaciesofsuchrestrictedcontextsinmoreglobaltimes.Andthe
scientificandphilosophicalcontextsaremainlyEnglishlanguage
workwith,again,alltheirowninsufficienciesintimeslikethese.[6]
Theaimistooffersomecriticalbutconstructivereflectionsonthe
stillvaguebutquiteimportantideaofpersonsasmorethaneither
individualsormembersofsocialgroups.Accordingly,theextended
argumentisthatpersonsaremostbasicallyneitherindividualentities
norsocialentitiesbutessentiallyrelationalentities,bothwithrespect
totheunityoftheirownnaturesaswellaswithrespecttoother
